Quilted Alphabet Tutorial

Supplies:

Quilted Alphabet Template
Printer and paper (cardstock recommended but not necessary)
Paper scissors
Fabric marking tool (recommend a heat or air soluble pen/marker)
Fabric scissors (or rotary cutter + mat)
Pinking shears
26- 4.5in x 5in squares of Fabric 1 (front of letters)
26- 4.5in x 5in squares of Fabric 2 (back of letters)
52- 4.5in x 5in squares of batting
Notes:
1. The 4.5in x 5in squares of Fabrics 1 & 2 can be cut from ½ yard or 2 fat quarters.
2. Each letter obviously varies in size. 4.5in x 5in gives you plenty of space and is the easiest to prepare, but there will be fabric waste for most of the letters. You can certainly use scraps, or lay the individual letter templates over your fabric to create less fabric waste. The most important part is to have 1/4in of fabric on all sides of the letter template. An alternative is to combine thinner letters, such as “i” and “j” onto a single 4.5x5in piece.
3. I recommend using only one contrasting Fabric 2 (rather than a combination of different fabrics), so the correct side is easily differentiated from the back (e.g. using a solid color for Fabric 2 if Fabric 1 is a print(s)).
4. A heat or air soluble fabric marking tool will be the easiest to remove, as opposed to water soluble, as the finished set is not washed.

Instructions:

Print out the alphabet template and cut out each letter. The tittle (the dot over the “i” and “j”) can be kept together or cut separately. Note that the template is a condensed alphabet - meaning the letters “b” “d” “p” and “q” as well as “n” and “u” are created from a single letter template, simply flipping it around as needed. This is for optimized printing and cutting.
Using your marking tool, trace each letter onto the center of a Fabric 1 piece.

3. Create the quilted letter stack in the following order top to bottom: 1 piece of Fabric 1 (right side up), 2 pieces of batting, 1 piece of Fabric 2 (right side down).

4. Sew along each line, backstitching where the stitches overlap in order to secure.

5. Use the pinking shears to trim 1/4in away from the sewn lines, being careful to not snip any of the stitching. The pinking shears will minimize fraying and loose threads. You may choose to cut out all of the details of the shapes, or only the outer shapes!